east

east . 2024 (photograph by ammar kalo)

east . 2024 (photograph by ammar kalo)

east . 2024 (photograph by ammar kalo)

east . 2024 (photograph by ammar kalo)

happy new year everyone! wishing a good year ahead for us all...

here's my first post of 2025 – i worked on a textile commission last year for the newly renovated vip majlis at the american university of sharjah (aus). for those who don't know, i graduated from aus all the way back in 2006! it's quite an honour to be invited to contribute to my old campus with one of my own textile works!

during my research for this commission, i found an online article which mentions ancient artefacts found in mleiha, a small town in the emirate of sharjah. these artefacts were inscribed with pre-arabic letters, including the ancient musnad script. i incorporated musnad letters/symbols onto the textile panel which correspond to the arabic letters ش ر ق , spelling the word شرق  (east), a theory that the origin name for الشارقة (sharjah) is derived from. the word شرق also indicates the direction of the sunrise. these attributes correspond to ideas of language and enlightenment through education, which i thought connects nicely to aus as well.

'east' is an extension of my earlier textile series 'if speech is silver...' – researching dead scripts that were precursors to the arabic language, and reactivating them for today.

i haven't been able to do much textile work over the past year due to a lack of space and facilities. but i was really glad to have squeezed out at least one textile project for 2024. here's to making more textile works over the coming year...

ending my post with a shout out to ammar kalo for reaching out and commissioning me for the vip majlis. so happy to have worked on this. and i hope whoever visits the majlis enjoys my lil' textile...

twenty four, twenty five

season's greetings . 2024

and here we are, another year has comes to a close. what a blessing it is to have survived one more year on this planet. as always, both the good and bad were experienced. it was also a year of self reflection and tackling some of my own struggles in attempt to achieving personal growth. not sure if i succeeded, but a sense of acknowledgement of where i lack is a small win i guess. 

reflecting on this past year, here are a few thoughts on 2024: 

• after a year of being evicted from my studio, i've slowly moved into a new space i'm sharing with a couple of my trusted friends and art peers. more on that once it's all official, but i'm stoked to have a studio space again!
• i let go of my car of 20 years that i loved, and got myself a vehicle of the times! tears were shed, saying goodbye was hard, but it was the right thing to do. i made a little comic about it in case you missed it – see here.
• after deciding last year to work from the periphery of the local art circus away from the clowns in it, i felt like i was able to let go of some of my frustrations and find my voice again, figuring out the things that bring me joy about being an artist. and with that came the right kind of projects, clients, and collaborations. i had a busy year working on some of my favourite projects, both client-based and self-initiated – please check out previous posts. i still have a few more to post about so stay tuned...
• music played an even bigger role this year than usual – i attended a handful of live concerts both at home and abroad, and danced as much as i could with loved ones and strangers, sweating out life's many troubles. i've also returned to my love for dance music, it's impact reflected in a few projects i worked on this year. maybe i should start making playlists to share with you all! let's see if 2025 makes space for that...
• now to throw a lil' shade – everyone seems to be a dj or a podcast host these days! and almost everyone's a glorified artist, designer or curator!!! it's so insulting, especially when many have taken years to hone their craft. but as a friend recently told me "it's all just a hustle [...] and is also a new form of narcissism [...]". i completely agree. 
• i've been let down by many individuals this year who i considered my peers. it became obvious to me how assumptions were made about myself and my practise – as an illustrator, i'm not a real artist nor graphic designer. and as an artist, i'm not scholarly enough nor carry myself as some sort of intellect. i guess i don't have the same 'cultural currency' as some of my contemporaries. all because my aspirations aren't about gallery representation, falling into some power list, making works that take over entire courtyards, or forcibly insert myself within pretentious cultural circles and activities. 
• i struggled this year with a lack of self-worth. at the end of my thirties, i wish i was in a better place with decluttering my life, as well as in the health and fitness department. i think i garnered some self-confidence close to the end of the year, and i hope to carry it into 2025, being a bit more kinder to myself, and showing a little more self-love.
• through all of life's ups and downs, i'm blessed to have a family that's there in times of need. from my real family to friends that have become chosen family, i know i can count on a support system that shows up when needed.
• with the atrocities happening around the world, i have to remind myself that i'm blessed and privileged for what i have, and am thankful for it almost everyday. 
• a takeaway from 2024 – change is something inevitable. and living in a city like dubai, change is a constant! i've finally learnt to embrace change, and accept that it's not always a bad thing. re-sharing an earlier post where i elaborate on change here.

i think that's all for this last post of the year. season's greetings to everyone and may 2025 be a good year to us all. the image above is my end of year print i worked on and am pretty chuffed about! i made twenty two of these (wanted to do twenty four but ran out of paper). if anyone wants one, please reach out.

see y'all next year...

limbo

'limbo' cover . 2024

'limbo' page 1 . 2024

'limbo' page 2 . 2024

'limbo' page 3 . 2024

'limbo' page 4 . 2024

'limbo' page 5 . 2024

'limbo' page 6 . 2024

'limbo' page 7 . 2024

'limbo' page 8 . 2024

'limbo' . 2024

here's a short comic titled 'limbo', created by me and adapted by azim al ghussein.

originally created in 2005 as a junior in university, 'limbo' was a response to an assigned class reading in one of my courses. i don't remember much from that time, other than my introduction and fascination to studio ghibli films, specifically 'princess mononoke', as well as listening to kylie minogue's song 'limbo' (from her underrated 'impossible princess' album) on repeat! both heavily influenced me at the time while working on this story.

cut to almost 20 years later, clearing out my studio after being evicted, and finding my project tucked away in one of the many bags amongst the mess! looking at it after all these years, i was quite embarrassed by it! however, azim disagreed, and felt the urge to give a go at reinterpreting my story from long ago.

we launched 'limbo' at this year's focal point art book fair by the sharjah art foundation, at our 'great + everlasting' table. in pure azim fashion, he made 'limbo' so much better that the original with his added touch! i'm really proud of this collaboration. thank you azim for your greatness!

reach out if you'd like a copy of 'limbo'. and stay tuned for upcoming announcements once stocked in shops around town!

happy reading! and ending this post with images of the original comic from 2005. it's always interesting seeing works done in the past by younger versions of ourselves...

'limbo' page 1 . 2005

'limbo' page 2 . 2005

'limbo' page 3 . 2005

'limbo' page 4 . 2005

'limbo' page 5 . 2005

'limbo' page 6 . 2005

'limbo' page 7 . 2005

my first toyo

my first toyo (page 1) . 2024

my first toyo (page 2) . 2024

my first toyo (page 3) . 2024

my first toyo (page 4) . 2024

my first toyo (page 5) . 2024

my first toyo (page 6) . 2024

it's that time of year again – a newly published short comic in the sixth volume of 'corniche', the annual comics anthology by the sharjah art foundation. this year's story is inspired by saying goodbye and letting go of my twenty year old car. i loved my silver, two door toyota prado – a car that has been with me since i turned eighteen way back in 2003, and stayed through all the good and bad of the last two decades. just like a member of the family, it saw me grow into early adulthood, and never let me down. it was quite emotional letting go, finally putting it to rest earlier this year, after all the countless drives and memories. but it had to be done – maintaining the car over the last few years was getting more and more difficult!
'my first toyo' is a short comic commemorating the first car i ever owned, and the journey we went on together through the years. spoiler (not): it's not your average car in the comic, but a flying cat-shaped vehicle instead! mainly because i suck at drawing cars, but also because it never felt like just a car, but a best friend who was always there...
as always, a big thank you goes to the corniche team – thank you nasir nasrallah and mouza al hamrani, for having me published in every volume so far, and for the opportunity to share my stories...
make sure to grab a copy of 'corniche 6' (as well as past volumes), now available via the sharjah art foundation's shop.
ending my post with a gif of 'my first toyo' published in 'corniche 6', with beautiful cover artwork by nasir nasrallah. happy reading...
 

my first toyo published in corniche 6 . 2024

great + everlasting ... back, back, back again

'great + everlasting' at focal point sharjah art book fair . 2024

we're baaaaaaaack...! after an eight year hiatus (see 2016 post here), azim al ghussein and i are back once again as 'great + everlasting', participating in this year's edition of the focal point sharjah art book fair! 

as some might know, focal point is my only favourite annual cultural event in town. after visiting the fair for all these years, i'm so happy to announce my participation in it's seventh edition.

azim and i will be selling our printed and illustrated fancies, including zines, short comics and prints old and new. alongside our printed matter, we're also happy to have works for sale by people from the great + everlasting community – including big sis hind mezaina, full special studio's very own diego mendoza, melhem hasan and tribe photo magazine.

make sure to pass by focal point from 22 – 24 november, between 5 – 10 pm, at baid obaid al shamsi in sharjah. for full details about the fair, as well as scheduled programming, please check out the focal point page here.

see you all at focal point!

discover dubai

'discover dubai' illustrations . 2024

here are a series of illustrations i recently worked on for google arts & culture! 

in partnership with the dubai culture and arts authority, google arts & culture has launched a webpage designated to discovering the 'heartbeat of dubai' – highlighting the city's art scene, cultural heritage and urban communities. i was approached by the google team to work on illustrations that compliments the content on the 'discover dubai' page, as well as coming up with a colour palette for the webpage and illustrations. i'm really happy with these drawings, illustrating what i really enjoy about my city.

ending this short post with a big thank you to the google team for reaching out and having me be a part of this project. and without further ado, check out the 'discover dubai' page here!